City Decides not To Join Comany That Claims To Provide Lower Rates
Early last month, the City Council empowered the mayor to sign a contract aimed at lower natural gas prices. Last week, however, officials said the deal had fallen through, but officials also announced lower local rates.
Mayor Charlie Fagan said he had refused to sign a contract with Tennergy, a Tennessee-based firm, until it had been reviewed by the city attorney. Fagan said he did not like the wording in one section of the contract.
Friday, Fagan said Ron Allen, the municipal lawyer, had agreed.
According to the mayor, the city had been led to believe that the company had already reserved gas at a lower rate, and if Piedmont joined the company's list of clients, those savings would be realized locally.
This was not the case, the mayor said. The company was seeking signatures from cities across the Southeast and planned to use those signatures as guarantees to obtain financing from J.P. Morgan Financial. Once the financing had been arranged, Tennergy would then begin to seek lower gas prices.
Fagan said he would not sign a contract before the rates were established. Allen added that the delay in submitting the contract had eliminated Piedmont from the list of participants.
Lee Young, general manager of the water, gas and sewer utilities first brought the Tennergy proposal to the council. "We were told the rate would be a variable thing," said Young. He said Piedmont was told it could get "as much as 15 cents off the wholesale price of gas, but that wouldn't come until the end of the year." He said the discount could have been as low as 5 percent.
In referring to the proposal, Yung said, "This is not going to work out as good as we had expected. Most time we can beath that (discount rate) ourselves."
Fagan also noted that Tennergy representatives had mentioned the discounts, but this was nhot included in the contract.

Natural Gas Rates To Drop By 15%
Local utility officials say a second reduction in natural gas rates is going into effect.
Lee Young, general manager of the water, gas and sewer utilities said rates would be dropped by 15 percent last month. This is due to the lower wholesale cost currently in effect.
In December the wholesale cost of natural gas was nearly $16 per decatherm (the units in which utilities buy gas from suppliers). It was a record high, but as prices began to come down, and local officials were able to infuse less expensive gas into the pipe line.
Young said January was unusually warm, and some discounts were made to keep rates as low as possible.
Last month, rates dropped to slightly more than $7 per decatherm. "That's getting down to near what it was in September 2003," Young noted.
The 15-percent decrease is on residential rates. Industrial rates will be reduced by 12-13 percent, he said.

Black History Celebration Features Music, Speakers And A Glance Into The Past
Friday evening, Bethune Community Center's auditorium was packed with a large crowd in celebration of black History Month.
The crowd included a number of city officials and the program featured a number of speeches and performance.
Several speakers offered the welcomes, scripture reading and prayer. Susan Fann addressed the group on living conditions of children during the days of slavery. The Piedmont Male Chorus offered a number of songs, and youngsters offered a skit, "What If There Were No Black People." The performance featured the products introduced to daily lives by black inventors.
Mrs. Frankie Wheeler of Cedartown, Ga., was the keynote speaker, and she centered her address on black children preparing for the future.

Mayor Pledges To continue Abatement Work
The city's nuisance abatement efforts have been put on hold by winter weather, but with spring rapidly approaching the work will renew, said the mayor.
Mayor Charlie Fagan said the city had made a lot of progress, but there were still problems with dilapidated building in several areas of the city.
While city crews have not been cleaning unsightly lots or destroying old buildings, Fagan said letters have been going out to owners whose property is the target of abatement efforts. "We are going to created a problem list of those who have been less than cooperative," Fagan said. Those lots and buildings will be the first to receive the city's attention.
"We have some problem areas," the mayor said, "and as we have time we will go through the court procedures."
Some mobile homes have not escaped attention. The mayor plans to take a look at mobile homes and outbuildings that are unsafe and unsightly. Under the new zoning ordinance, an old mobile home can be replaced with a modern, safe one without penalty under the law. Under the previous ordinance, if a mobile home was removed, another one could not replace it, excepted in designated mobile home parks.
He said there were also "two-story apartment buildings" that are "in bad shape." Fagan added that the city would work with anyone who was trying to improve their property. "Anyone who makes an honest attempt to clean or repair property can have more time," he said.
In conclusion, he added, "We are going to continue to clean up Piedmont."

Strictly Personal
Have You Ever wondered What Happens After...
I have often discussed with you unusual happenings and things of great beauty. This is the topic of this column. It may also answer some of your questions.
Saturday, my daughter, Missie, and I attended a very special service in Birmingham. Until recently, I had forgotten some information I received shortly after my wife's death. Many years ago, Carol and I both decided to become body donors. Her wishes were carried out.
In the days following, I talked with and received correspondence from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and was told that the faculty and students would conduct a memorial service for those who had given their bodies to the school.
It's no secret that the bodies are preserved until the medical students begin their studies with a course in gross anatomy. In short, the bodies are dissected so the students may gain the knowledge on how the body works. The only way the students can get this first-hand information is by working on a cadaver. Without this knowledge they wouldn't be very good doctors.
Mine and Carol's decisions to become donors were made after careful consideration and long discussion. What I didn't expect was thanks, but that's what we got Saturday.
The auditorium of the Wallace-Spain building on UAB's sprawling campus is a huge facility. When we entered, we were requested to sign a guest book, and Missie was given a long-stem white rose.
I don't know what I expected as to the size of the crowd, but the huge auditorium was almost filled to capacity. The crowd included the first-year medical students and faculty members, but the majority of the assembly was composed of donors' family members and friends.
In the program we were presented were a list of the donors; names and the counties from which they had come. There were 105 names on that list, and 11 of those were from Calhoun and Etowah counties.
After two musical offerings by members of the "Class of 2009," the class president welcomed us and turned the microphone over to F. Cleveland Kinney, who had more titles and degrees than you would be interested in hearing. Regardless of his extensive education and lofty status at the school, his speech was brief, meaningful and to the point. He explained that each body was treated with the utmost respect, and that the students became attached to and protective of their "first patients." He expressed the school's gratitude to each donor and their families, remarking that it was one of the greatest gifts that could be given.
He pointed out that each donor had provided knowledge that would enable physicians to help others for many years to come.
Three of the medical students came to the podium, and though neither their education nor titles were equal to those of their professor, their remarks were somehow more touching. They did not speak in the cold tones we may have come to expect from doctors. They addressed the group as young people who had been deeply moved by sharing their education with their donor. Each of them expressed a deep attachment to the person who gave them their opportunity to explore the mysteries of the human body. Each of them expresses deep thanks for the generosity and love of the donor. Each of them promised that the memory of and attachment to their donor would go with them through their careers, and that the donor would be a part of every healing effort.
Before adjourning, there were six ornate candle holders that filled the large stage. The name of each donor was read and a medical student lit a candle in that person's memory.
Though I had made my decision to be a donor many, many years ago, I walked away with new viewpoint on my decision. It is a personal decision, and I'm not trying to influence anyone to make that choice. For me, any doubt I may have had was removed at Saturday's service.
I just thought you might be interested in what follows the death of a body donor. I was deeply moved and highly impressed with what I saw and heard.